Innehållsförteckning för Issue 68 från VWt

“Desirability = uselessness / cost x pointlessness” It was while standing, jaw agape, looking at the irrationally detailed Best of Show winner at The VolksWorld Show recently that it dawned on me. Then I saw a photo of something called the Craft-porter on Instagram, and it reinforced my opinion. There is a whole world of people out there who seem to think the same way as me. Allow me to explain… Take my other car. A Mk1 Golf track day vehicle that can only really be described as useless. It is uncomfortable, and above and beyond noisy, to the point it makes me deaf when I’ve been driving it if I don’t wear the ear plugs I had specially moulded to combat the onset of tinnitus. If I spend more…

Hitaid Kevin Regan, North Wales This is a special request from VWt’s greatest Welsh ambassador. His name is Ben Regan, we featured his Skye Blue T4 in Issue 54 of VWt and, when he got in touch recently to ask if we’d wish his dad a happy birthday, we felt compelled to oblige. So, to keep you all entertained, here’s Ben’s email. Taid is grandad in Welsh. Let’s start off with wishing you an awesome 60th birthday on May 10th. I know it might have passed by the time you receive this issue of VWt but you are by far the coolest taid to Casi and Mali and a total dude of a dad [stop it Ben, we’re welling up here – Ed]. If it weren’t for you (and mum,…

I f I’m brutally honest, there wasn’t much of a plan to begin with. It started as a discussion between friends regarding a lads’ night out, which grew into a one-night trip to Belgium in March, something to fire us up for the 2018 show season. A quick scan through the event listings (see p86) showed the Freddy Files event was just around the corner. Perfect. Organised by our old buddy Frederic Peeters (hence the Freddy Files name), this event is held on the streets of Ninove in Belgium, and was just the kind of relaxed atmosphere we needed. Now we just had to let our wives know we were hitting Europe for a one-nighter, and then pack our bags and fire up the Van. For the record, this is…

“jobs you can do at home with no financial outlay” If you’ve been following our progress from the start, you should now have your Van, and your plan. As your bank balance will inevitably have taken a tumble, you’ll now want to make yourself feel better by starting on your conversion. Unfortunately, for things to get better they first have to get worse, so prepare to start stripping! The vast majority of secondhand Vans will arrive with a ply-lined interior and a bulkhead, both of which need removing to do a decent camping conversion. These are both jobs you can do at home with no financial outlay. See, you’re feeling better already. Disassemble your Van carefully and you can even re-use the ply lining (more on that later) and, whilst…

In issue 69, out Friday 8 June More full-bodied, well-rounded, tasteful Transporters, all with a wonderful bouquet and fresh, zesty finish. Well, most of them smelt lovely until our Jimbo got in them. Plus somewhere in the middle of it all, we’ve got Early Edition, Big Bang Camper and Bus and All Types VW events occurring over the same weekend in May. Luckily, we’ve perfected cloning, so we’ll be at all three at the same time. That’s the plan anyway… The ultimate Camper? High-end T6 that is absolutely loving life…

Most importantly, ensure your Van is in proper working order. Check your wipers, tyres (don’t forget the spare) and all lights. Speaking of lights, you’ll need headlight deflectors so your dipped beam doesn’t blind oncoming traffic when driving on the other side of the road. Plus a spare bulb set. Different countries have different legal requirements, so check the AA or RAC websites for specific information on the country, or countries, you plan to visit. As most people driving from the UK will start a European road trip in France, here’s the equipment list needed: • Emergency warning triangle • GB sticker (on your Van, not in the glove box) • Hi-vis jackets for every passenger • Spare bulb kit • First aid kit • Two ‘on the spot’ breathalyser…

“the quality of cars on display at Sandown Park is something else” It’s difficult to be unbiased about this event. For years I’d been attending this show as a teenager with my friends and family in tow, and it was always an eyeopening, mouth-watering experience. As a result, The VolksWorld Show holds a special place in my heart, and of those I have chosen to surround myself with in my working life. Attending it now with my VWt hat on, it’s clear the same passion, fire and love for all things VW still burns bright all over Europe. Wherever your VW allegiance lies, there’s no denying the quality of cars on display at Sandown Park is something else. But it’s about more than just the cars. It was the lengthy…

Only those who have never driven a T6 say it is merely a facelifted T5. Step out of even just a three-year-old, 50,000-mile ’5.1 and into a new T6 and the difference in driving feel is literally night and day. It might not be quite the same leap forward that stepping from a T4 to the T5 represents, but there’s no doubt the overall experience ramps up remarkably for what is still essentially a ‘commercial’ vehicle. Up the ante a little with a factory Kombi and choose a lavish spec like this eyeball-searing 2017 Chrome Yellow T32 2.0 Highline and you’re instantly going in the right direction. If you haven’t yet taken the leap into Van life and are worrying about driving something the size of a Van, or think…

Greig Uren is so laid back it’s a surprise to find him stood upright. A peaceful, unpretentious, 48-year-old Cumbrian chap, we first got to know him when he approached us at Camping at the Castle last year. “Is this Project Shed?” he asked inquisitively. “It’s not as bad as you make it sound.” With that he flashed us a beaming Cumbrian smile, and we instantly warmed to him. “I’ve got a T5 as well. It’s alright. Had it a little while now and done a bit of work to it,” the modest, cycling enthusiast explained. The next day he bought this T5.1 over to the show ’n’ shine arena and, as he dumped it in the grass, we weren’t sure if he was taking the Mick the day before, or…

“fully immersed ourselves in the 1950’s-influenced rock ’n’ roll scene” It was Bobby Rocket’s suggestion that he and Julie should acquire a Volkswagen Campervan as he had owned many VWs in the past, notably a colourful variety of Split Screen Buses. As such, he was familiar with both their set up and ethos. “When Julie and I got together and fully immersed ourselves in the 1950’s-influenced rock ’n’ roll scene, I thought the ideal Campervan had to be a Volkswagen,” explains Bobby. “I’ve had Splits in the past, but this one had to be a T4 for that little bit more modernity and, dare I say it, reliability. Not to mention being more in our price range these days, at least when compared to our dream Type 2, which is…

How does that saying go? Fail to plan, plan to fail. If you’re anything like me, most of your projects will start as an idea in your mind that then gets developed as the build goes along. Sometimes it works out great, but that’s not always the case. This T5.1 Pick-up, with full front and rear T6 facelift, however, was meticulously planned and then executed exactly according to that plan. No scope creep here. The result is a Van – of sorts – that there is literally not a single thing about it I would change. Except, of course, I didn’t build it, and it doesn’t belong to me! The crew responsible for this manufacturer-standard build is Camperversions in Lancashire, who have some previous, in as much as this isn’t…

May 11-13 Vanwest Warren Park Holiday Centre, Brean Sands, Somerset TA8 2RP www.vanwest.co.uk 12-13 VW Budburg Oulton Park Circuit, Cheshire CW6 9BW www.vwbudburg.co.uk 18-20 BIg Bang VW show Santa Pod raceway, NN29 7AX www.big-bang.co.uk 20 All Types VW Show Bodelwyddan Castle, LL18 5YA We’ll be there! 20 Early Edition 38 Sywell Aerodrome, Northampton, NN6 0BN www.edition38.com 25-27 Volksfling Biggar Agricultural Showground, South Lanarkshire ML12 6AJ www.volksfling.co.uk We’ll be there! 25-28 Dubs In The Middle Ashdown Farm, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 7EL www.dubsinthemiddle.co.uk 25-28 Wurzledubz Mill Farm Caravan Park, Fiddington, Somerset TA5 1JQ www.wurzledubz.co.uk June 1-3 The West’est VW Fest Cwtch Camping, Dews Lake Farm, Pembrokeshire, SA71 5PB www.thewestestvwfest.simplesite.com 2-3 GTi International Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby NN17 5AF www.gtiinternational.co.uk We’ll be there!…

The Ws WHO: www.vwrustylee.com WHERE: Unit 2, Munitions Close, Hereford, HR2 6FN WHY: To sleep like a king WHEN: Whenever you’re tired or need to transport folk in your Van Not be confused with the smiley, Caribbean chef (she’s Rustie!), ‘Rusty’ Lee Pickering has been making rock ’n’ roll beds for the Campervan community for more years than he probably cares to remember, and as a business for the last 14 years. Whether they’re for Split Screens, Bay Windows, Type 25s or the newer water-pumping fraternity, his range of M1 crash test-approved works of steel wonderment are everywhere you look. As the company has just moved into new, custom-built premises in Hereford, we thought it high time we paid a visit and found out some more about him and…